US imposes sanctions on almost 400 entities supporting Russia’s war, including tech suppliers in China

October 30, 2024 TruthUSA

The United States has rolled out new sanctions against nearly 400 entities and individuals backing Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, aiming to cripple Russia’s military-industrial base. The measures also target third-country networks aiding Moscow’s sanctions evasion and seek to disrupt support for Russia’s future energy production and exports.

The new actions, announced jointly on Oct. 30 in a Treasury Department statement and a State Department fact sheet, include measures against Russian defense officials, Belarusian support for Russia’s military, and China-based suppliers of dual-use goods that are being used to bolster Moscow’s production of weapons used on the battlefield.

The sweeping effort—which targets more than 120 entities and individuals designated by the State Department and more than 270 designated by the Treasury—is one of the largest sanction actions to date since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Among the 17 countries implicated are China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, where entities continue to supply critical components to Russia despite international sanctions.

“This action targets multiple sectors essential to Russia’s war effort,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, adding that the initiative seeks to undermine Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations by cutting off access to critical technology, financial resources, and supply chains.

The targeted companies include China-based manufacturers and exporters of computer numerical control machinery and microelectronics, which are critical components used in the production of Russia’s weapons systems. The sanctions also target Belarusian entities aiding Russia’s defense sector and a Thailand-based supplier of key dual-use items to Russia that support its military-industrial base.

“Today, the department is targeting a number of entities involved in the production of weapons, ammunition, battlefield electronics, fighter aircraft, photonics, vessels, and armed UAVs,” the State Department said in its fact sheet.

The Treasury Department is also targeting third-country networks that are facilitating sanctions evasion for Russia’s war effort, including financial intermediaries such as trust and corporate service providers. Treasury described these actors as “key nodes” within evasion networks, noting that sanctions against them can act as “force multipliers,” creating broader disruption across multiple evasion channels at once.

“As evidenced by today’s action, we are unyielding in our resolve to diminish and degrade Russia’s ability to equip its war machine and stop those seeking to aid their efforts through circumvention or evasion of our sanctions and export controls,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in a statement.

Wednesday’s actions are part of a broader campaign that has seen thousands of U.S. measures imposed on Russian companies and their foreign suppliers since the invasion of Ukraine. Questions remain about their impact, however, as Russia continues to sustain its economy through oil and gas exports, which help fund its increased military-industrial output.

Russia’s economy grew by 4.1 percent annually in the second quarter of 2024, following a 5.4 percent pace of growth in the January–March period.

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